Abstract
When plural parts are processed with a numerical controlled complex machine, there arises a problem of selecting tools that are to be mounted on the tool magazine to minimize the number of tool exchanges. It has already been shown that this problem can be formulated as the set covering problem (P) by enumerating tool sets mountable on the tool magazine ; i. e., tool modules. Listing all tool modules, however, is not practicable because of a tremendous number of tool modules in usual cases. Accordingly, this study proposes the optimum solution of (P), like a kind of the column generation method, by enumerating only those tool modules necessary for judging the optimality.
